Kicking Off 2012...

Yikes! Time is flying and I sent out my flyers before even getting a post up on here. It has been a busy year and I can't believe summer is already half way over. I have been busy with a number of things and it took a lot of effort to find the time to fit Pelotonia in.

Over the last few months I have felt too busy to ride or to fundraise. I come home from work and I'm tired. The heat is too intense this year. I moved to a new place. I've had a nightmare dealing with a car I bought... Then I realized the way I am talking reminded me of something. Check out the video that was released at the Pelotonia Opening Ceremony in 2011:



Excuses. We all have them.

At the end of the day, this ride and this cause are important to me and I want to do my part in the fight against cancer. Only three weeks ago, I had not raised a single dollar and I had only been out to ride twice. Since I decided to get over my excuses, I have ridden almost every day I have had available for a total of over 200 miles. I created my flyers and sent out about 80 of them. I have updated my Facebook and Twitter. And now I'm writing this post to get the blog rolling.

It wasn't easy to get all those things done, but then again participating in this cause is not supposed to be easy. There have been some late nights addressing envelopes and some early training mornings to beat the heat. I know it will be worth it when I cross the finish line in just under a month.

Thank you for reading and for your support!

I am almost positive I will be riding with Mayor Coleman tomorrow night in a ride that finishes at the Food Cart Festival. Look me up if you are down there...

Pelotonia Links

Here are some links to some key Pelotonia pages that may be of interest:

My Pelotonia Profile

Pelotonia's 2011 Welcome Video



I'll toot the social media horn again next year, but I provided 24 updates on the day of the ride and I know that a lot of people enjoyed being able to follow my progress on the day of Pelotonia. I also post updates on training, fundraising and events in the months leading up to the ride.

@ATPelotonia on Twitter (no login required)

@ATPelotonia on Facebook

Pelotonia 2011

My. Oh. My... Not only have I blown by the entire Pelotonia race without updating, I have also let a whole month fly by.

I'm not pointing out anything new when I say that time flies. Nor am I the only person it flies for. So let me start by thanking each of you for taking a few moments to help me reach my fundraising goal. Your support propelled me to a new fundraising standard as I will be over $2,500 when it is all said and done. That is far beyond the $1,800 I needed to raise. THANK YOU!

As for the ride, this year's preparation was not all that different from last year. Both years I fell short of the recommended training miles. In fact, this year's training efforts did not even come close to what I was supposed to do. Someone once told me that running a marathon is easier the second time because you already know you can do it. I crossed my fingers and hoped that same theory would translate to bike riding. I think it did.

Not only did I complete the ride despite my training shortfall, I knocked off about 45 minutes from my 2010 time. I rode with my coworker Jon Welty and my goal was to hang with him for no more than the first 20 miles. Instead I hung with him for 60 miles. It certainly helped riding next to someone. Aside from having a riding buddy and some extra adrenaline, the only other thing to which I can attribute my success is the riding shoes I bought a few weeks before the ride.

It was also rewarding to have Nick Joyce-Houghton (PHOTO CREDIT TO NICK!) and Ross Righter waiting for me at the finish line. Thanks guys!

A few other tidbits I'd like to add:
-The sign of the day: "Chuck Norris Didn't Ride 100 Miles"
-As the exhaustion wears in, I think riders loosen up with each other. Somewhere around mile 75, a girl asked a crowd that included me, "Does anyone want this banana that has been in my pouch for the last 50 miles?" I thought that was funny.
-The playlist laughed in my face this year. For example, I approached the second largest incline of the day and I composed myself. "OK, Anthony. You got this. Let's do it." Just then, a song intro whispered the following sweet words into my ear: "I can be your hero, baby." Let me speak directly to Enrique Iglesias for a second: Enrique, you could have been my hero if you would have magically transported me to the top of the hill at that point. But you didn't. And you really chose the wrong moment to come up on the playlist.
-On the flip side, I had a stretch a little later on where I did not have to pedal once for a whole 1.2 miles. Of course the song that played at that time was Eye of the Tiger. That's right, the song that would have made me channel my inner Rocky Balboa played when I utilized no effort whatsoever.

The most glaring difference this year was that someone I knew was fighting cancer as I trained and rode in Pelotonia and he later passed away. He only had a few months after being diagnosed. Only a week before Pelotonia, I got to share in a fun night with him, his wife and my parents. This timeline really mailed it home for me. We want to live in a cancer free world. I hope that we have made a difference in getting there.

I foresee 2012 as being slightly less hectic for me. No guarantees on that statement at all! However, I had a great fundraising idea that I would love to make a reality next year. Hopefully I can get my legs in gear (pun intended) next spring. After eclipsing both my fundraising total from 2010 and lowering my time, I hope I have set a precedent that each year will be better than the last.

Thanks again for all your support.

-Anthony

Tour de Cause

I participated in Tour de Cause last weekend and it was another rewarding experience. I found out about the ride from a work partner whose company, Gorsuch, is based in the area.

Obviously Pelotonia takes the cake in terms of grandiose events. There were over 3,000 riders in 2010, an all out concert and celebrity appearances. Also, I didn't realize how spoiled I was by having giant signs pointing me towards Athens.

Tour de Cause was a little different. It still went to a great cause. I paid $20 to enter and it went directly to homeless drug addiction awareness and prevention in Fairfield County. For those of you from out of town, that is the county directly southeast of Columbus. There was no concert, no red carpet, no celebrity. The signs that pointed me onward were painted in tiny lettering on the street. But that's probably how it is for smaller events. Still, I was impressed with the fact there were over 500 riders registered that day. I'm sure at least another 100 or so walked up just as I did.

I only have one picture located on my Facebook page: Tour de Cause

The ride took us on various county roads to the north of Lancaster. It lacked the glitz and glamour, but anyone who knows me knows I love Southeast Ohio and this was a chance to see parts of the region I had not seen before. And most people probably know I don't need glitz and glamour anyway - just as long as I don't miss one of those signs on the ground. Twenty-four miles later I was finished.

Come to think of it, they did have some things Pelotonia did not have. After I finished they offered me pizza and ice cream. I happened to be in a rush so I took just a bottle of water and bolted back to Columbus. Would have been nice to do a longer ride, which I need to be doing at this point in my training. But all in all, I was impressed. I'd say it is safe to say I will see you again next year, Tour de Cause.

Here I Go Again

It seems that when most politicians announce they will run for office they put out the following rhetoric: "Big announcement coming tomorrow."

With me, you don't need to worry about this being drawn out. I'll make the announcement right now. I am riding in Pelotonia in 2011.

Last year's ride and fundraising was a rewarding experience for me. Thanks again to all the wonderful people who helped along the way. That goes for anyone who donated, to those who helped make signs, and to one who helped make the postcard possible.

I hope to be even more successful in my efforts this year. That means more donations, more songs on the playlist, more Facebook followers and a faster time to Athens.

Thanks for reading. Much more to come soon!

Pictures from Pelotonia

Pelotonia fundraising thermometer - over $2,300!

Pelotonia Playlist

CD Label for Playlist - given to me by a camper

Sign made for me by camper

Another sign by a camper

Chris Spielman speaking at Opening Ceremony

Best bike jerseys I've ever seen

At the finish line

Thank You Postcard

Positive Story

I wrote a lot about my ride, but I wanted to give you a good look at what was accomplished with both the ride and fundraising. Long story made short, I rode 107 miles from Columbus to Athens and raised more than $2,300 for cancer research! Thanks to all of you for making this possible.

Also, if you would like to contact me with comments or questions, the easiest way is via email:

anthony.tynan@gmail.com

Here is the table of contents for my posts, beginning from the bottom:

1. Pelotonia Playlist - All the songs that were requested for the ride. I posted this a day or two before the ride.

2. Positive Decisions - Why I decided to commit to ride in Pelotonia and to raise $1,500

3. Positive Fundraising - A behind the scenes look at my fundraising efforts

4. Positive Prelude - The opening ceremony

5. Positive Ride - All the details of the ride, from 4:30am to 4:45pm

6. Positive Experience - My chance to thank you and to let you know how you can continue to make a difference

I don't expect you to just roll through this all in one read, but it would be great if you can get through all of it by breaking it up into a few reads. At the least, please read the post below to give me a chance to thank you!

It has been a rewarding experience in many different ways. Thanks for making all this possible!